Improvement in harvesters



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GILDEROY LORD, OF WATERTOWN, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN HARVESTERS.

`To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GrLDEaoY Loan, of

Watertown, in the county of Jefferson and' State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Rakes for Harvesters; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description ofthe same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ot' this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a plan or top view of a harvester-platform with my improvement applied to it. Fig. 2 is a View from the near side of the platform. Fig. 3 is a view from the rear side of the platform.

Similar letters of reference in each of the several h'gures indicate corresponding parts.

With most of the selfraking harvesters in use much inconvenience is experienced from the rake having a continuous and uninterrupted motion instead of an intermittent motion, it being found impossible to discharge the grain in gavels of uniform size, as the grain grows scattering in one place and compact in another, and as a greater quantity of grain is cut (although the same speed is maintained) in a given time on level land than is out when the surface is uneven or undulating.

The object of my invention is to overcome these difficulties, and yet render practicable and useful the employment of a rake which is made to traverse and sweep the platform at intervals by means of gearing.

rlhe nature of my invention consists in so constructing the rake-head and arranging it ielatively to an endless belt which has one or more lugs on its outer surface, and t0 a tripping foot or hand lever that the rake will be, when at the near side ofthe platform and in a horizontal position, out of gear with the belt and in gear with the tripping foot-lever, and remain so until the proper quantity of grain is out and deposited onto the platform,when

by the driver applying his foot to the tripping-lever, it (the rake) will be thrown to a vertical position and out of gear with said lever but in gear with the endless belt, and at thisl'lstage'be carried by the belt to the o' side of the platform, and made to assume a horizout-al position and again come in gear with the belt and return to the near side of the platform, and in its passage sweep the grain from the platform and then cease its connection with the belt, but again gear with the tripping foot-lever.

My invention consists, also,in the combination of a guide-ledge on the inner side of the back board of the platform, with a springcatch of the rake-head. By this simple arrangement the rake-head is held down to the platform with a spring force in its movement over the platform.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.'

A represents the p1atform,constructed with a rear guard-board, B, and an off-side side board, C.

D D l) are the vertical inclined ribs, arranged on the side board, O. These ribs are placed a short distance apart, so as to admit the rake-teeth between them. They are inclined, so as to give the grain a direction toward the center of the platform and thus allow the rake-teeth a chance to pass behind the grain.

E E E are the horizontalinclined ribs, arranged on the upper side of the platform at the near side. These ribs serve, owing to their inclination as the grain rises over them, to compact the same and thus effect its discharge in perfect gavels.

F is the cutter-bar. lt is constructed with an arm, iig which runs forward at rightangles to the cutting-edge and attaches to the connecting-rod of the drivinggearing,s0 that the butts will fall onto the platform ata point beyond where thejunction between the bar and the connecting-rod is formed.

G is the rake. lt has a tubular casting, H, attached to the rear end of its head. The tubular part of this casting is fitted to slide loosely over a guide-rod, I, which is fastened iirmly by means of brackets b b on the rear side of the back board of the platform, so as to stand out a short distance from said board.

J K are two arms projecting horizontally the casting. These arms are furnished with vertical lugs c d, which run at right angles. Another horizontal lug, c, also projects from the inner side ofthe arm K, as shown.

L is a spring-catch projecting down from the under side of the rake-head. This catch fits and binds under a ledge, L ,of the back board of the platform, as shown,and serves for holdfrom opposite sides of the tubular portion of provided with two teeth or lugs, fg, on its outer surface. One or more than two, however, may be found practicable by having the speed of the gearing suited to the use of the same.

P is a plate arranged on the lower rcar side of the guide M. This plate serves as a guide to the rake-head when the rake is in a vertical position and is moving toward the off side of the platform. The guide-plate P is jointed at h, and its inner portion, t', made capable of rising, being held to its place by a spring, j. The outer end of said plate is set slightly fiaring or out from the guide, as at k.' The object of the joint in the plate is to allow the rakellead to gear with the plate by means of the notch lin the arm J, as shown in red in Fig. 2.

Q is a jointed spring-lever, arranged loosely on the inner end of the guide-rod I, and furnished with a notched trip, m, as shown. The jointed lever is connected to a treadle or crank situated so as to be conveniently operated by the drivers foot or hand. The notch in the trip receives the lug e when the rake is in a horizontal position, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, and in full black lines in Fig. 1.

n is a gravitating-stop for holding the rake in gear with the trip 'while in a horizontal position. This stop only resists the movement of the rake and while in a horizontal position in the direction of the arrow l. By thus -hav- 1n g the rake-head gear with the trip it is caused to get out of gear with the belt, andisbrought to a position which will insure its elevation, as shown in red, when the trip-lever is adjusted, as shown in red at it.

R is a belt-tightener of ordinaryeonstruction connected with the pulley 'N'.

The operation is as follows: The rake is ad` compacted by the inclined ribs.

the vertical inclined ribs D, with its butts in rear of the junction formed between the cutter-bar and connecting-rod. A gavel being deposited on the platform, thev driver operates the trip-lever with his foot and elevates the rake to the position shown in red. The trip and rake are now out of gear and the rake and belt brought in proper relation for gearing together. The gearing of the rake with the belt is accompanied by the lug o of the arm passing under the spring portion t' of the plate l), and locking to the same by means of its notch Z, as shown. The rake being thus adjusted, the lug f of the belt comes in contact with the lug c and carries the rake to the off side of the platform. At this point it is caught by a spring-catch, g, tripped by the flaring end 7c of the plate P, and its head caused to assume a horizontal position. The teeth -are now between the ribs D D D and behind the grain, andthe rake is confined upon the platform by the spring-catch L, which `binds upward under the ledge L. The lug d of the varm K is also in position for gearing with the lugs j' or g ofthe belt. The rake, as soon as it assumes the position just named, is carried toward the near side of the platform by reason of the lug for g ofthe belt coming in gear with the lug d of the rake-head, and thus caused to sweep thegrain over the inclined ribs E E E onto the ground. Before the grain escapes it is At this moment the connection between the rake and belt ceases and a connection between the trip-1ever-is formed, and this connection is notbroken until a fresh gavel is deposited onto the platform, when the foot-lever is again operated and the rake -thrown in position for gearing with the belt.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. The rake-head, constructed as described, in combination with the endless belt O and tripping foot or hand lever Q m, substantially as and for the purposes set forth. v

2. The combination of the ledge L with the spring-catch L of the rake-head,arranged substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

-GILDEROY LORD.

Witnesses:

EDM. F. BROWN, CHARLES M. BROWN. 

